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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. stem — to come from
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bank — for money
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. sharp — clever
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. game — a match
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. game — wild animals
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rule — government
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rule — a law
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com